Flap holder



R. J. NAGLER FLAP HOLDER Jan. 15, 1952 Filed Oct. 1, 1946 INVENTOR. R. J NA GL ma Patented Jan. 15, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6' Claims.

This: invention relates to a flap holder, and is particularly directed to a device of this nature arranged and adapted to be applied. to a cardboard carton after the flaps of. the latter have been folded back, and when so applied to releasably hold such naps-snugly against the outer. face of the carton.

The object of the-invention is the provision of an especially simple and inexpensive device of the above character which is highly eflicient in the performance of its flap-holding function; which may be readily applied. to. and removed from the carton, and which is particularly constructed in a manner such that only two holders are required to securely holdthe four flaps of a conventional carton in their said folded condition.

With the foregoing and other and still more particular objects and advantages in view and which will appear and be understood in the course of the following description and claims, the invention consists in the novel features of construction illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter described and claimed.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a device constructed in accordance with the now preferred embodiment of the present invention and also showing a cardboard carton, and representing the device in position preparatory to being applied to the carton.

Fig. 2 is aperspective view showing the holder after the same has been applied to the carton.

Fig. 3 is a rear-elevational view of the holder shown detached from the carton and using a scale enlarged from that of Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 42 is a top plan view thereof; and

5 is a perspective view of the holder.

The device of the present invention is in the nature of a resilient clip, produced, preferably, from a single strand of resilient wire and comprised of a pair of wing elements arranged, in the use of the device, to bear upon the flaps, and a clip-like member supporting these wings and arranged to be applied to the carton such as to hook over the lip which is described at the point of juncture of the upper margins of two adjacent sides of the carton. When applied to the carton, the clip lies perpendicular and the two wings occupy more or less of a horizontal plane extending inwardly from opposite sides of the clip to at substantial right angles, one wing in relation to the other.

As will be seen from the drawing, the two legs of the clip and which are denoted by the numerals It) and ll are generally parallel but tend to converge toward the free ends, and at the bite of the clip the span opens up somewhat to form a spring loop 52.. The inner leg in is or may be extended below the horizontal plane occupied by the wings, and the free terminus thereof is desirably carried inwardly in a slight curve to form a lead-in or guide finger I3 facilitating the application of the deviceto the carton.

In forming my holder from the single strand of wire, I retain a free end which extends beyond the lower limit of the outer leg II and this free. end is turned to extend as an arm M5 for a short distance in a direction lateral to the leg whence it is bent downwardly and turned back upon itself to present a subjacent arm it which, withthe l5, constitutes one wing of the holder. From the inner end of this lower arm i 6 and at a point coinciding with a perpendicular prolongation of the leg I l, the wire strand is made to extend laterally in the other direction from the axis of the leg II, and the arm ll thus formed is or may be reinforced by again turning the wire upon itself, this time bending the wire upwardly and thence inwardly as at it to terminate adjacent the leg ll. Considered from above (Fig. 4), and as previously described, the wing composed of the two arms |5-l6 lies at right angles to the wing composed of the two arms ll-i E.

The manner of employing the flap-holder is believed to be self-evident from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2. Where it becomes desirable that the flaps of a carton C be held out of the way for purposes, say, either of removing the contents or of introducing articles to the carton, the user turns back the flaps and applies the holders to each of two opposite corners of the carton, applying the holder in each instance by sliding the latter downwardly, in the course of which sliding movement the guide finger is caused to crack along the inner face of the corner while the wings work along the exposed faces of the two adjacent flaps, yieldingly pressing the flaps inwardly against the outer side walls of the carton. The device finds especial favor in taverns or the like for handling bottled beverages in that the bottles can be easily withdrawn as calls therefor arise, and the empties later returned to the carton without, as heretofore, experiencing the obstructive annoyance of loose flaps.

Visualizing modifications obviously within the teachings of the invention it is my intention that the hereto annexed claims be given a scope in their interpretation commensurate with the state of the advance in the art.

I claim:

1. A device arranged and adapted to be detachably applied to an open cardboard carton for pressing turned-back flaps of the latter tightly against the side walls of the carton, and comprising a pair of wing elements disposed at substantial right angles to one another and adapted to bear against the exposed faces of twoadjacent flaps, and an inverted U clip with one of its legs supporting said pair of wing elements and the axis of the other leg projecting between said wing elements, said clip being thus adapted to hook over a corner of the carton to support and position the wing elements.

2. A device arranged and adapted to be detachably applied to an open cardboard carton for pressing turn-back flaps of the latter tightly against the side walls of the carton, and comprising a pair of wing elements disposed at substantial right angles to one another and adapted to bear against the exposed faces of two adjacent flaps, and an upstanding downwardly opening hook integral with the wing elements with the hook opening lying between the wing elements, said hook being thus adapted to hook over a corner of the carton to locate and position said wing elements.

3. A device arranged and adapted to be detachably applied to an open cardboard carton for pressing turned-back flaps of the latter tightly against the side walls of the carton, and comprising a pair of wing elements disposed at substantial right angles to one another and adapted to bear against the exposed faces of two adjacent flaps, and an inverted upstanding resilient U- shaped clip having one of its legs rigidly connected to the wing elements at the juncture thereof, and having its other leg projecting between the said wing elements, said clip being thus adapted to hook over a corner of the carton to support and position said wing element.

4. The device of claim 3 in which the wingsupporting leg is made shorter than the other leg of the clip, and wherein the free terminus of the leg last mentioned is curved outwardly away from the angular juncture of the wings to form a guide finger facilitating the application of the device to the carton.

5. The device of claim 3 in which the clip and the wings are produced from a single strand of wire which, in forming the wings, is first turned outwardly to extend for a short distance in one lateral direction from the clip and is then turned downwardly and bent back upon itself, thence being extended for a short distance in the other lateral direction from the clip.

6. The device of claim 3 in which the clip and the wings are produced from a single strand of wire which, in forming the wings, is first turned outwardly to extend for a short distance in one lateral direction from the clip and is then turned downwardly and bent back upon itself, thence being extended for a short distance in the other lateral direction from the clip and then turned upwardly and again bent back upon itself.

RAYMOND J. NAGLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 784,076 Shute Mar. 7, 1905 2,278,145 Matthews Mar. 31, 1942 2,375,374 Lepp May 8, 1945 

